SYNOPSIS: In this captivating, skewed World War II drama from Nagisa Oshima,
David Bowie regally embodies Celliers, a British officer interned by the
Japanese as a POW. Rock star Ryuichi Sakamoto (who also composed this film’s
hypnotic score) plays the camp commander, obsessed with the mysterious blond
major, while Tom Conti is the British lieutenant colonel Lawrence, who tries
to bridge the emotional and language divides between captor and prisoner.
Also featuring actor-director Takeshi Kitano in his first dramatic role,
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is a multilayered, brutal, at times erotic tale
of culture clash, and one of Oshima’s greatest successes.

***

“There are times, when victory is very hard to take”

In 1982 producer Jeremy Thomas received a screenplay by Japanese film director
Oshima Nagisa, based upon the 1962 novel by Laurens van der Post, “The Seed
and the Sower”, dealing with cultural and identity conflicts between English
POWs in a Japanese camp during the second world war and the Japanese
commanders. Thomas had previously met Oshima in 1978 in Cannes, when Oshima
won best director for “Empire of Passion” and Thomas won the Grand Prix for
Skolimowski’s “The Shout”. Thomas handed the screenplay to Pal Mayersberg, who
also wrote “The Man who Fell to Earth”, and who in turns reworked the script,
and then went to Tokyo with it to discuss it with Oshima. Thus the production
began and a strong friendship, which later would create films like Oshima’s
“Gohatto” and Kitano’s “Brother”.

When the British soldier Celliers arrive at a POW camp in Java, starved and
tortured, the social structure of the camp is disrupted. Being the liaison for
the prisoners, but also trying to understand what drives the Japanese, the
liaison officer Lawrence, is caught between the two sides, struggling to make
each side understand the other. The situation is further unbalanced by Yonoi’s
homoerotic attractions to Celliers, which causes a personal conflict, that
further is enhanced by the guards view of Celliers as the devil. In order to
find inner peace, and re-establish order in the camp, Celliers must die.

The story deals with the cultural and identity differences between those who
belong to the British Empire and those who belong to the Japanese Emperor, and
has two axis: The first axis deals with the relationship between the leader of
the prison camp, Yonoi, played by composer Sakamoto, and the prisoner Celliers,
played by Bowie, and its momentum is driven by Yonoi’s samurai code of honour
and Celliers rebellion. The second axis deals with the relationship between
the guard Hara, played by Kitano, and the prisoners liaison, played by Conti,
and is driven by how their friendship.

Both axis’ are driven by the sense of honour (or lack thereof). The Japanese
view the English prisoners as lacking any honour, as they chose to taken as
prisoners rather than killing themselves, and the English view the Japanese as
having no honour in the way they treat the prisoners (and themselves).

In many ways the thinking mans “Bridge on the River Kwai”, “Merry Christmas,
Mr. Lawrence” is not so much about the war, but about the consequences of war.
In the final segment of the film, taking place in 1946, Lawrence visits Hara
in his cell, where he awaits execution for war crimes. Hara, who has come to
terms with his fate, asks Lawrence why he must die, as he only did what any
other soldier did or would have done if in the same situation, to which
Lawrence contemplates,

“We are victims of men who believe they are right, just as you and Yonoi
believed absolutely that you were right. And the truth is, of course, that no
one is right.”

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" is one of those rare films, which perfection
dwell in the symbiosis between story, director and actors. And it was
recognized, to some degree as the film first came out, being nominated for the
Palm d’Or and both Conti and Kitano were in consideration as best actors, but
more and more over time, as today, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” stands as
one of Oshima’s greatest films and the greatest performances by actors
involved. A haunting masterpiece.

NOTE:The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.

ADDITION: Criterion
Region 'A' - Blu-ray
- September 2010:

This is a
pretty substantial improvement over the PAL release - much sharper, far
better, and tighter rendered, colors, more grain... and even the
subtitles are better. The dual-layered, 1.78:1, 1080P transfer shows
depth. I don't there is much more I can add beyond viewing the screen
captures.

Criterion's audio is a very competent DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel at 2035
kbps supporting the original Japanese and English. It doesn't sound flat
and the stereo carries some range. The Blu-ray
contains, improved, optional English subtitles and my Momitsu
confirms that the disc is region 'A'-locked.

Criterion expands upon the solid supplements
of the 'Special Collector's Edition'. This includes the 30-minute The
Oshima Gang, a 1983 making-of featurette which has interviews with
Bowie, Tom Conti, author Laurens van der Post, director Nagisa Oshima
and producer Jeremy Thomas - among others. However, on the Criterion -
it is in HD. 'On the Screenplay' (28:01 - also in HD) is a
video piece recorded for Criterion in 2010 with Paul Mayersberg who
discusses the development of the screenplay for Merry Christmas Mr.
Lawrence and working with Nagisa Oshima. 'On Location' is
also a new 40-minute featurette featuring Tom Conti, Ryűichi Sakamoto
and producer Jeremy Thomas reminiscing about Merry Christmas Mr.
Lawrence. 'On the Music' is another new interview,
18-minutes, with actor/composer Ryűichi Sakamoto on the score of
the film. Hasten Slowly is a 1996, 55-minute, documentary about
author Laurens Van der Post, whose autobiographical novel was the basis
for the film. In addition to writing many books, Van der Post was a war
hero, journalist, philosopher, conservationist, and advisor to the
British heads of government. There is a 4:3 trailer in HD and Criterion
includes a 30-page liner notes booklet featuring an essay by film critic
Chuck Stephens and reprinted interviews with director Nagisa Oshima and
actor Takeshi Kitano.

I was indifferent to this film the first
time I watched it a few years ago - but I appreciated it much more in
the glory of HD - with a vastly improved a/v presentation by Criterion.
I was also able to gain more information on the production from the
bountiful supplements and the author, Laurens Van der Post. I think this
is definitely worth seeing at some point and we can't recommend the
Criterion package any higher for enjoying in your home theater.

ON THE OPTIMUM DVD (written
2005): This is one incredibly
beautiful presentation. The image has its original slightly lowered colour
scheme and is modest. The only artifacts I could spot was colour
banding (see wall behind Bowie in frame #2).

About the frame presentation of 1.78:1, I cannot say if the matte has been
opened from 1.85:1 or been cropped from 1.66:1. Most likely the former. My
VHS letterboxed version of the film is in 1.85:1, but the frame is
seriously cropped left/right and top/bottom, which makes comparison
impossible.

Sound is the original 2.0 Dolby Digital track. It is clear and no noise
audible.

Subtitles are fixed and only available during non-English dialogue. Fixed
subtitles are always a point of criticism, and that its only available
during non-English dialogue more so, as those hard-of-hearing or deaf
cannot enjoy the film.

The additional material begins with a half-hour long program from 1983
about the film, its production, its themes, discussed via interviews and
clips. The quality of the source seems to be VHS. It is presented in 4:3
full screen.

Following this comes two newly made and very personal interviews: One with
producer Jeremy Thomes who talks about the production, the other with
composer Sakamoto Ryuichi, who plays Yonoi in the film, and who talks
about his role, the film, its themes, the score and Kitano.

Next comes an excerpt from the 2000 Channel 4 program "Scenes by the Sea",
covering Kitano's involvement in "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence". The full
program is available on the Cinema Club R2 DVD of "Brother".

Finally the original trailer, presented in 4:3 (fullscreen) and in very
poor quality.